Woman Tells Cops Ex-Boyfriend Stole Her "Obama Phone" During Tussle

A South Carolina woman told police yesterday that her former boyfriend stole her “Obama phone” during a confrontation yesterday morning, according to an incident report.

Tasha Mallory, 29, said that she was on her phone when Desmond Ty’Quan Gray, 22, “entered her apartment uninvited” Monday morning and “began to ask her who she was on the phone with.” Mallory and Gray “are not dating but have one child in common,” cops noted.

According to Mallory, Gray tried to grab her phone, but she held it close to her chest “so Mr. Gray could not get to it.” Gray, Mallory alleged, then pushed her to the floor, bit her shoulder, and scratched her arm. He also allegedly wrested her phone away and then fled the residence in a green vehicle.

While talking with cops, Mallory pulled out a “second cell phone that she had” and showed text messages from Gray “stating that he did not want the relationship to end.” Police subsequently sought to locate Gray for questioning, but were unsuccessful (they planned to consult with a judge about the incident).

Gray, seen in the above mug shot, has prior arrests for drug possession, shoplifting, domestic violence, attempted burglary, and peeping, according to court records.

The federal government’s Lifeline program, which began in 1985, provides phones to financially disadvantaged individuals. While the program’s mobile phone component launched months before Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration, the 44th president has been linked to it largely due to a video shot during the 2012 presidential race.